Motivation Factors for Participation in Forest Preservation and Community Forestry Initiatives in Russia and Kazakhstan: A Q-Method Analysis
Akhmetbekov A. Kolesov D. Sirman D. Movchun V. Petukhov N.
March 2026Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Small-scale Forestry
2026#25Issue 1253 - 271 pp.
The motivations for community involvement in forest preservation and community forestry projects in Russia and Kazakhstan—often referred to as sustainable forest management, or SFM—are examined in this study, with an emphasis on the differences between non-monetary and pecuniary incentives. Participants were grouped into three categories using correlation analysis and Q methodology: Cultural Custodians (heritage), Socioeconomic Beneficiaries (financial), and Environmental Stewards (ecological preservation). Our results demonstrate that financial incentives are significant but insufficient for prolonged engagement, which is consistent with previous research on conservation and REDD + participation influenced by mixed incentive bundles and local value systems. The Socioeconomic Incentive Score shows a negative correlation with age (r = − 0.36, p < 0.001) and a positive correlation with wealth (r = 0.48, p < 0.001), suggesting that older participants give more weight to cultural or ecological incentives. Seventy percent of environmental stewards, sixty percent of socioeconomic beneficiaries, and eighty percent of cultural custodians highlighted non-monetary drivers. The findings emphasize the necessity of program designs-executed under SFM framings-that incorporate monetary and non-monetary incentives suited to a range of motivational and demographic profiles, offering practical recommendations for inclusive forest governance.
Cultural custodians , Deforestation , Forest conservation , Monetary incentives , Q methodology , SFM
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Department of Special Legal Disciplines, Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies Under the General Prosecutors Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan
Sport Center (Department of Physical Training), Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Botany, Buketov Karaganda National Research University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Department of Surgery, Medical Faculty, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Technosphere Security of the Agrarian and Technological Institute, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Special Legal Disciplines
Sport Center (Department of Physical Training)
Department of Botany
Department of Surgery
Department of Technosphere Security of the Agrarian and Technological Institute
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